Hip joint protective appliance



United States Patent [72] Inventor Richard D. Garber Osseo, Wisconsin54758 [21] Appl. No. 783,580 [22] Filed Dec. 13, 1968 [45] PatentedSept. 1, I970 [54] HIP JOINT PROTECTIVE APPLIANCE 6 Claims, 3 DrawingFigs.

[52] 11.8. CI 128/95, 128/99, 128/132, 128/522 [51] Int. Cl A6lf5/28[50] Field of Search 128/522, 132,155,156, 157, 82, 94, 96, 99; 2/95,44, 45

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,308 4/1941 Mahe 128/962,539,290 l/l951 Wellbom 128/99 2,889,830 6/1959 Raymond 3,171,4093/1965 Cetrone 128/99 Primary Examiner-Adele M. Eager Attorney-AnthonyA. OBrien posterior elastic band which assumes a position under thecurvature of the buttocks, each pad including a pocket having its majorend open to receive a removable insert composed of a concavo-convexvinyl plate having a resilient inner facing.

Patented Sept. 1, 1970 ATTORNEYS HIP JOINT PROTECTIVE APPLIANCEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention generally appertains to novelimprovements in prophylactic devices designed for the prevention ofinjury to the appendicular skeleton of the human body and moreparticularly relates to a new and novel prophylactic appliance adaptedto be worn as a protective device for the prevention of hip jointfractures and dislocations.

The hip joint is constituted in the appendicular skeleton by the head orupper extremity of the femur, or thigh bone, fitting closely into thecup-shaped cavity in the hip bone known as the acetabulum. Adjoining thehead and connecting it with the shaft of the femur is an obliquelyplaced neck. The weight of the body is transmitted to the shaft in aslanting buttress-like fashion while the angular arrangement retains theupper end of the shaft sufficiently clear of the hip bone to permit of awide range of movement. Where the cylindrical shaft joins the neck theshaft is expanded into two prominences known as the great trochanter andthe lesser trochanter. The trochanters afford attachment to importantmuscles with the prominences on the bone increasing the leverage of themuscles. The hip or haunch bone of the pelvic girdle consists of threeparts, continuous in adults but held together by cartilage in children,namely, the ilium, the ischium and the pubis. On the outer side of eachis the articular cup, known as the acetabulum, which receives the headof the femur and whereby the lower limb is joined to the body. Thetrochanters are built up of comparatively thin shell of compact bonecontinuous with that of the shaft.

When the head of the femur is forced out of the acetabulum, it travelsin one of four directions; in obturator dislocation, forward anddownward; in pubic dislocation, forward and upward; in dorsaldislocation, backward; and in sciatic dislocation, backward and upward.Such dislocations result most frequently from direct violence applied tothe joint itself or applied at a distance and displacing the joint byacting on the limb as a lever. In the instances, especially ofdislocations forward or to one of the other side, such almost alwaysoccur with fracture. Any dislocation of the hip joint is a seriousinjury and any delay in relieving it can result in serious consequencesvThe hip joint may be fractured in many ways but most commonly it isfractured, especially in elderly people, as a result of a fall. In mostfractures, the neck of the bone is broken either outside or inside thejoint.

In order to rectify the hip fractures, it is necessary to resort tosurgical procedures. Such surgery is usually accomplished, even in theelderly, without mortality. However, many elderly patients will die inthe post operative period from such complications as thrombophlebitis,pneumonia, anorexia and loss of the will to live. Pulmonary embolism isnot an infrequent complication and does often lead to death. Thepatients are confined to long bed ridden periods of recuperation and areplagued with constipation problems related to bed rest. Urinaryretention frequently leads to indwelling catheters and this notuncommonly leads to urinary infection. Other complications includedecubitus ulcers, where the patient tends to remain in one proneposition for prolonged periodsof time, as well as the development ofstiffjoints through inactivity. Such inactivity also produces thinningof the bones (osteoporosis) which is already a problem in many of theelderly patients who are victims of hip fractures.

This brief resume of the complications resulting from surgicalcorrection of hip injuries, especially in the old, can but convincethose in the art of the need for some type of secure, but comfortableprophylactic device that can be worn by elderly people so as to preventsuch hip injuries from occurring. Not only will such prevention overcomethe high mortality rate attendant with hip surgery in the elderly butalso it will avoid the morbidity associated with these injuries and thepermanent, uncorrectable damage done to the limbs either as a result ofthe injury or the operative procedure.

While the problem of hip injuries, as a result of falls, is one that ismost prevalent in the elderly, it does occur in the young, particularlyin the instance of neophyte ice or roller skaters. Therefore, theoptimum aim is the provision of an adjustable hip joint protector thatcan be worn with assurance, ease and comfort by people of all ages andwhich will not be cumbersome or bulky so as to lead people to dreadwearing an unnatural feeling brace or harness type contraption.

The protection of vulnerable hip areas by the use of pads that aredisposed protectively over the hip joint in contact with the hipprominences and of a size and formation to accommodate the greattrochanters has been recognized in the prior art. Probably the bestillustration of the known types of hip protectors is to be found in US.Pat No. 2,889,830, issued June 9, 1959, to Raymond. Such patentedstructure does embody the provision of cushioned pads that have surfacesadapted to contact the hip prominences and accommodate the greattrochanters so that the pads will absorb the shock of a blow against theside of the hip joint. However, the overall structure, incorporatinghold-down thigh encircling straps on the lower ends of the pads andcomplicated attachments of the upper ends of the pads to a waistencircling belt, is so complicated and so cumbersome that while it iseffective, if worn, more than likely it will not be used because of thenecessarily high purchase price associated with the complicatedconstruction and the unnatural body anchoring elements associated withthe pads. Further, such patented structure fails to offer the necessaryattractiveness to a potential user so that the user wears the same inthe same natural way that the user would wear an article of underapparel.

The latter point is probably the most important consideration that mustgo into the designing of a protective article-of this nature. While manypeople will succumb to the wearing of a cumbersome and bothersomeprotective device when they venture forth out of doors, just as a womanwill wear a corset or girdle when she dresses up to make an outside thehouse appearance, such people, especially the elderly who require thehip pad protection the most, will avoid wearing such a protectivearticle around the home or the immediate environments of the home. Andyet it is in andaround the house where the' greatest number of hipfractures and dislocations occur. Consequently, a hip protector, inorder to serve its purpose at all times, must be of such a nature thatit is put on and worn by a person in the same natural and habitualmanner as a pair of underpants. It must be simple, fit naturally so asnot to prey on the subconscious of the wearer and must remain in placeduring all physical movements, such as walking, bending, sitting etc.,of the wearer with the hip protective pads always remaining in a stableposition of the hip area and being held in direct and immediate contactwith hip prominences.

SUMMARY lt is an object of the present invention to provide an extremelysimple but most effective hip joint protector that is designed so thatit is extremely comfortable in use whereby a' user will quite naturallydevelop a habit of putting it on and wearing it in the same natural modeof dressing as putting on an article of under apparel.

In line with the foregoing objective, it is a further object of thepresent invention to provide a waist encircling body attachment meansthat is adjustable, secure for supporting the upper major ends of hippads at the proper overlying position in relation to the hip areas, andproperly arranged so as not to interfere with normal physical movements.

Another important object of the present invention is to avoid any thighencircling or engaging attachments for anchoring the lower ends of thehip pads and retaining the lower ends in proper contact with the hipareas and, in this respect, to provide an inferior-posterior elasticband joined to the lower ends of the pads and adapted to-assume aposition under the curvature of the buttocks of the wearer. Such bandwill assure proper positioning of the pads and will give the wearer thefeeling of added'security while not giving such wearer a subconsciousfeeling of being harnessed-up. The inferior-posterior band holds thepads close to the hip bones or great trochanter areas and prevents thepads from flailing outward during a fall by the user and also preventsthe pads from riding or creeping up on the wearer.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an elevational view of thehip protective appliance of the present invention showing the same in anexpanded or open position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the protectiveappliance; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the protective appliance on a smallerscale showing the same as applied to a human figure and illustrating howthe hip protective appliance looks when it is worn by a person.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now more particularlyto the drawing with the aid of reference numerals that refer to the sameinteger throughout, the hip joint or hip area protective appliance ordevice of the present invention is generally designated by the referencenumeral 10. Such appliance is composed ofa pair of identical pads 12 and14 which are adapted to be disposed over and in protective immediatecontact with the left and right hip joints of a user, as illustrated onthe human body 16 in FIG. 3. Each of the pads is of substantiallytriangular configuration presenting an elevational configuration, asshown in FIG. I, ofa major upper end portion 18 and a lower minor endportion 20. The upper end portion has a substantially straight edge 18awhile the lower minor end portion 20 has a rounded edge 20a. The sideedges of the pads between the upper and lower edges are curvedoutwardly. Such design is in keeping with the anatomical appearance ofthe hip joint area and the hip prominences thereof, as aforedescribedand as shown generally in FIG. 3. Thus, the pads, as can be seen from aconsideration of FIG. 3, are designed to hug and overlyingly contact thehip joint with the upper end portions thereof encompassing the ilium andthe lower end portions extending down to and overlying the acetabulumand protectively overlying the lesser trochanter while the pads overliethe great trochanter and are made of a concavo-convex cross-sectionalform to have an inner concave face 22 in receptive conformance to theconfigurations of the hip area and to the hip prominences with thetrochanters being accommodated in the inner surfaces or faces 22 of thepads.

Each of the pads 12 and 14 is composed of a pocket or envelope 24 formedfrom a suitable plastic material with the upper straight major edge ofthe pocket being open, as at 26, so as to receive a removable insert 28formed from a suitable resilient cushion 30 of rubber, either natural orsynthetic. The resilient cushion 30 forms the front face or liner of aformfitted concavo-convex semi-hard plastic plate 32 to which it may bebonded. The insert 28 is thus concavo-convex and has a relatively hardouter surface of vinyl or the like plastic and a resilient inner surfacewith the insert giving the desired hip hugging concavo-convex formationto the pads 12 and 14.

The pads 12 and 14 are held in proper placement over the hip areas incontact with the hip prominences by an adjustable frontal belt buckletype connection or rig 34 which includes a strap 36, formed from leatheror suitable fabric or plastic, and having one end attached, as bystitching, to the free end of an elastic strap 38 which is sewn orotherwise attached to the front edge of the upper end portion 18 of thepocket 26 of the pad 12. The free end portion of the strap 36 is formedwith a series of longitudinally spaced and aligned openings 36a so as toreceive the tongue 40 of a conventional buckle 42. The buckle edge 44 iscarried by the closed looped end of a strap 48 which has its other endsecured directly to the frontal edge of the upper end portion of thepocket for other pad 14. The strap 48 may be formed from leather or fromany suitable elastic material.

A posterior elastic strap 50 is provided to transversely overlie theback of the wearer and cooperates with the frontal strap rig orconnection 34 in constituting a waist encircling, adjustable attachmentmeans for the pads 12 and 14 in mounting and supporting the pads. Theposterior strap 50 has its opposing ends attached, as by stitching, tothe rear edges of the upper end portions of the pockets for the pads 12and 14 and is provided with a conventional adjustable loop and bucklearrangement 52.

The lower or minor ends of the pads 12 and 14 are connected at theirrearward edges by an inferior-posterior elastic band 54 which is sopositioned in relation to the pads and to the waist encircling means forthe pads that it lies beneath the curvature of the buttocks of thewearer, as shown in FIG. 3. The band 54 has its opposing ends stitchedor otherwise secured to the rear side edges of the minor lower ends ofthe pockets for the pads 12 and 14 with the band ends being disposedjust above the lower rounded edges 20a.

The inferior-posterior elastic band 54 is arranged in such a manner asto exert a force, along with frontal strap connection 34, that will tendto hold the pads close to and in immediate contact with the hip bonesand over the trochanter areas. In connection with the entire waistencircling means, such band 54 will prevent the pads from flailingoutwardly during a fall. The inferior-posterior band 54 will also, bythe inward force created, prevent the pads from riding or creeping upalong the thighs of the wearer.

As seen from FIG. 3, the inferior-posterior band 54 will naturally liebeneath the curvature of the buttocks B of the wearer l6 and in so doingwill tend to keep the pads in proper placement over the hip prominencesand prevent the pads from slipping out of immediate and direct securecontact with the hip joint areas during bending, sitting or any othertype of body motion. This will assure a stable position of the padsduring a fall by the wearer or in the event the wearer should in anyother manner come into contact with a force directed toward or at thehip region ofthe body.

The positioning of the inferior-posterior band 54 in relation to thewearers body 16 and its relative placement with respect to the pads 12and 14 and the waist encircling means 34 and 50 for the upper endportions of the pads will enable a person to wear the protectiveappliance 10 under a dress or pair of a pants or any other garmentwithout the necessity of anchoring the pads to some lower point of theperson's body, which latter requirement is felt to be the major factorthat tends to discourage an individual from wearing any known type ofhip protective device. Due to the band 54, the protective device 10 canbe put on as simply as one puts on a pair ofunderpants. Thus, a user ofthe device 10 will very readily acquire the habit of putting on thedevice as a matter of regular course of dressing for any occasion.

When putting on the pads 12 and 14, the band 54 assures properpositioning of the pads as soon as it has been placed under thecurvature of the buttocks B and the waist rig 34 is fastened in front bythe belt and buckle arrangement. A user does not have to be overlyconcerned about the proper positioning of the pads 12 and 14 afterapplication. In fact, the band 54 will actually give the wearer afeeling of added security in relation to wearing the protective device10 without the wearer encountering any psychological feelings ofunnaturalness or uneasiness.

The band 54 will freely adjust to the size and shape ofthe individual,while the front rig 34 and the posterior elastic strap 50 can be easilyand dependably adjusted so that the protective device 10 can be adjustedto fit persons of any size or age. It may be desired, especially in theinstance of use of the device 10 by children for protective purposeswhile engaged in strenuous activities that could lead to an accidentalfall, to make the pads in small, medium and large sizes.

The simplicity and comfort of the device on the body of the wearer canbest be appreciated from a consideration of the illustration in FIG. 3showing the device 10 on the body 16 and in relation to an underlyingpair of underpants P, shown in dotted lines. In addition, the entireprotective device 10 is washable after simple removal of the inserts 28.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations,modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all mattercontained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

I claim:

1. A hip joint protective appliance adapted to be worn by an individualso as to prevent fractures and dislocations of the hip joint which occurfrom outside forces imposed accidentally on the joint comprising:

a pair of hip pads having a size and shape to overlie protectively thehip bones of the pelvic girdle and the trochanters of the femur at theacetabulum of the hip bones;

a frontal adjustable connection joining the pads and adapted to overliethe abdomen ofa wearer;

an adjustable posterior strap connecting the pads and adapted to overliethe lower back region of the wearer; and

an inferior-posterior elastic band connecting the pads and adapted toassume a position beneath the curvature of the buttocks of the wearer.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pads are of substantiallytriangular shape having upper major end portions and lower minor endportions.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said pads are composed of pocketshaving openings at the upper end portions and removable insertspositioned in the pockets, said inserts including semi-hard plasticplates having a concavo-convex cross-sectional configuration andresilient cushion liners providing the inner faces of the plates andfacing toward the wearers body.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said inferior-posterior band hasopposing ends attached to the pads adjacent the lower end portionsthereof and the frontal adjustable connection and the adjustableposterior strap are attached to the pads adjacent the upper end portionsof the pads and constitute a torso encircling means in association withthe upper end portions of the pads.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said frontal adjustable connectionincludes separable straps having a belt buckle type connection with atleast one of the straps being elastic.

6. The invention of claim 4 wherein said adjustable posterior strap iscomposed of a single elastic strap joined at its ends to the pads andhaving an adjustable buckle arrangement disposed intermediate its ends.

